Rediscovering Compassion

Recently, I have been “underwhelmed” by the kinds of content I have seen shared on social media. So, I thought to myself…

What does my heart tell me to do?

My answer was “be the change you wish to see in the world”. So, the solution… share tips on helping people discover their compassion!

Below you will find a list of articles I found during my quick (but passionate) Google search, along with my favorite excerpt from each.

Notes

If you feel the same way I do, please share this on your social media. May be together we can balance out the energy.

I realize that people only change when they are ready (usually when some kind of suffering becomes too great), but for those who are ready to feel more compassion towards others in the world, here are some articles I found that may be a guide or reminders for you.

~ from tinybuddha.com

~ from zenhabits.net (by the way, this is one of my favorite blogs to follow)

The final stage in these compassion practices is to not only want to ease the suffering of those we love and meet, but even those who mistreat us…Once you have mastered this practice of reflection, try acting with compassion and understanding the next time a person mistreats you. Do it in little doses, until you are good at it. Practice makes perfect.

~ from California College San Diego

Show Kindness. Kindness is contagious. The person you are being kind to benefits through your help. You feel good for having helped someone. And the world is a better place through your kindness. Carry out acts of kindness without expecting anything back.

~ from Fast Company

In the session, the compassion we feel for the loved one is used as a kind of home base to then attempt to extend similar levels of compassion to the other people. It’s rare in our everyday lives that we truly contemplate the suffering of strangers or of people we may dislike.

Comments

We are wired for compassion, and rewarded for it. Not only does it feel good to care for others, but they say it boosts our immune system. So we can be compassionate and selfish at the same time! So why is there a shortage of compassion? We are too busy to notice the need around us. Slow down and take the time to observe your surroundings, and your fellow travelers, as you journey through life.

Great insight Caroline! One of the TED Talks mentioned a study that was done which showed that even those of us who want to be compassionate miss opportunities to actually express our compassion because we are too busy, too caught up in our own heads to really see the world around us. So perhaps mindfulness is a prerequisite for compassion?